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Ben Cafferty
Benjamin Cafferty (born May 24, 1956) was the former White House Chief of Staff under both presidents Hughes and Meyer. He also successfully ran Selina Meyer's 2020 presidential campaign, and briefly served as chief of staff to Jonah Ryan for a brief time during his congressional tenure. He is often very pessimistic of all the things going on in the office, and always thinks the worst in all situations. When things get tough and overwhelming, Ben has a tendency to hide in the supply closet and realign himself. He is portrayed by Kevin Dunn. Description A seasoned veteran of many campaigns, Ben Cafferty has served Presidents Stuart Hughes and Selina Meyer as Chief-of-Staff and as Campaign Manager for Jonah Ryan. Prior to that he was a sought-after crisis manager for leaders around the globe through Cafferty Associates, an international political consulting group. Background Personal Ben is a graduate of Rutgers University, meaning he possibly grew up near/around New Jersey. Ben does appear to have family, though he is not close to them. In Testimony, he reveals that he has children and in Thanksgiving he admits that he is unsure which members of his family are at his house for Thanksgiving dinner. In Kissing Your Sister it is revealed that Ben is married to an Asian nurse called Joyce, who he met after his second heart attack. Professional According to the Jonah Ryan Congressman website, Ben ran an international political consultant group called Cafferty Associates, prior to working with President Hughes. Career in politics White House Chief of Staff (2013 - 2017) Ben was first introduced in Midterms, as Ben is worried that President Hughes will fire him for the party's disastrous performance in the 2014 midterm elections. Hughes, however, asks Ben to stay on. Ben continues to be close to Selina throughout the course of the second season. Ben continues to be of use to Selina when she announces her presidential campaign. During her book tour in Iowa, he advises her to choose Bill Ericsson as campaign manager. Ben is one of the first to learn that Selina will become President once Hughes resigns. In New Hampshire, Selina persuades Ben to stay on after President Hughes resigns and work for her. Though he appears reluctant, he proves a loyal advisor, organizing lobbyists to crush Selina's unpopular bill in B/ill in the hopes that she will remain president and showing a willingness to discretely arrange a prostitute for Selina to have sex with in Nev-ah-da. Ben offers to be fired in Data after the Medileaks scandal. Ben continues to be one of Selina's most trusted confidantes. After Selina's loss in the 2016 presidential election, Ben and Kent look for a position at the same firm. Chief of Strategy Officer and Director of Governmental Affairs for Uber (2017 - 2018) During the Montez presidency, Ben became employed as a strategy officer and director of governmental affairs for Uber. Ben's brash style and insensitive humor causes hostility with his younger colleagues, leading to his dismissal. Chief of Staff to Jonah Ryan (2018) In January 2018, Ben became the Chief of Staff for New Hampshire congressman Jonah Ryan, alongside his former colleague Kent. Ben and Kent put up with Jonah's antics and continue to try to enhance his image. However, Jonah foils most of their attempts. Following Jonah's entanglement with Shawnee Tanz, daughter of prison magnate Sherman Tanz, Ben and Kent's influence on Jonah is sidelined. Jonah, having formed the coalition known as The Jeffersons, causes a government shutdown. In August 2018, Ben resigned, unable to put up with Jonah's behavior any longer. BKD (2018 - 2019) In late 2018, Ben, Kent, and Dan Egan formed BKD, a consulting firm. The firm was dismantled in 2019 as they all would join Selina Meyer's 2020 presidential campaign. Selina Meyer's 2020 presidential campaign Days before announcing her presidential campaign in March 2019, Selina appointed Keith Quinn to be campaign manager. Unaware that she accidentally awarded the position to the wrong person, Selina makes Ben the de-facto campaign manager, with Quinn maintaining the title. Ben, along with Kent, is able to be one of the last original members of Selina's entourage remaining following Amy's departure in May 2019 to run Jonah's 2020 presidential campaign, and Dan's firing in February 2020. After Keith Quinn reveals that he is in cahoots with the Chinese in a plot to influence the election, Ben and Kent make it clear that they wish to remain in the dark about such information. At the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Ben suffers a heart attack from the enormous stress of swooning delegates. At the hospital, Ben is the one to tell Selina that she must sacrifice Gary to the FBI in order to achieve the nomination. Ben is last seen happily accepting a sponge bath from his nurse in his hospital suite. Later years Due to his poor health, it's unlikely that Ben would have returned to Selina's campaign, nor would he go on to serve in Selina's administration following her win in the 2020 presidential election. Ben died at some point between 2021 and 2044. According to Dan at Selina's funeral, it's amazing Ben hung on to life as long as he did. Trivia -Joyce is Ben's fourth wife. In Helsinki, it is revealed that Ben has been divorced three times. His second wife was a nurse, as is Joyce. His second marriage took place in the rain, as Ben said: "My second marriage took place in the rain. And you could see my nipples in all the photos." -Ben has had at least four heart attacks. His third heart attack occurred in 2010, and that's where he met Joyce. -Ben is the only member of the Hughes or Meyer staff to remain in the same position from the first day of the Hughes presidency to the last day of the Meyer presidency. -Ben is the only member of Selina's original entourage to have died during Selina's lifetime. Quotes Regarding his nine-cup Thermos: "It's the only thing I'd save if this building were on fire." "We all know the White House would work so much better if there wasn't a President, but there is, so we work around that." Gallery Episode-23-03-1920.jpg Episode-28-02-1920.jpg Episode-20-05-1920.jpg Offices and distinctions Category:Characters Category:Season 2 Characters